Method op and means for displaying- liquids



Dec. 15 1925- L. R. JOHNSON METHOD OF AND M BANS FOR DISPLAYING LIQUIDS Filed Oct. 25, 1920 Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

LORENZO RALPH JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR DISPLAYING LIQUIDS.

Application filed October 25, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Lomnvzo RALPH .lo'rrNsoN, a citizen of the llnitcd States, residi. at Chicago He ghts, in the county of look and State of .illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Means for Displaying Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

My invention. has reference more particularly to a method and means for displaying liquids, whereby liquids, which ordiarily have a discolored, deep hued or murliy appearance, may be caused to appear clear and sparkling, or toned to a more attractive degree or shade of coloring.

It is often desirable to display liquids so that the measurement or character thereof may be observed, but many llquids, as, for example, gasoline and lubricating oils, do not show up well in the ordinary quantities in which they are handled or displayed. Gasoline shows a yellow discoloring, which causes many customers to think that they are getting a poor grade of gasoline, while lubricating oils, even in comparatively small quantities, have a very dark, murky appearance which is objection: ble and renders it inadvisable to display oil under ordinary conditions.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide an improved method and means for displaying liquids; to avoid the objectionable characteristics appearing in liquids when displayed under ordinary conditions; to obviate the discolored appearance of liquids, such as gasoline, and cause same to appear clear and sparkling; to avoid the darlr, murky appearance of liquids, such as .lubricating oils, and enable such liquids to be shown in a clearer and more attractive shade of coloring; to enable the shade of coloring to be varied or modified at pleasure; and, in general, to provide an improved liquid display method and means which may be readily employed in connection with any liquids and various types of transparent receptacles, to display the liquids to better advantage and improve the appearance thereof.

An important application of my invention is in connection with dispensing apparatus for gasoline filling stations, wherein the gasoline purchased is measured out in a glass receptacle before it is furnished to the customer, and as such use will serve to reach ily and clearly disclose the nature and ad- Serial No. 419,174.

vantages of my invention, I have illustrated and described my improvements in connection with such an apparatus. it is to be understood, however, that my invention embraces other apparatus, and use with other liquids, and is not intended to be limited by reason of the particular form in which it 1s illustrated or disclosed herein.

On the drawings, Fig. l is a side view of a gasoline dispensing apparatus including a display device embodying my invention; and,

Fig. 2, a sectional view of the display vice on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the ref rence numeral 1 indicates a supporting stand which may be of any desired form, and has a receptacle 2 mounted on the top thereof, into which the gasoline is pumped, and may be observed by the customer before it is withdrawn, as, for example, into the tank of an automobile.

A pump or filling mechanism (not shown, as such mechanisms are well known) is contained in the casing 3 of the stand 1 and operated or controlled by the handle a so as to withdraw gasoline through the pipe 5 from the usual underground tanks or other sources of supply and introduce same through the pipe 6 into the receptacle 2. A hose 7 leads from the bottom of the receptacle and has a valved outlet-fitting 8 at the end for emptying the contents of the receptacle.

The receptacle 2. may be of any suitable construction, and in the present instance comprises a glass cylinder which is closed at the lower end by the supporting base 9 and at the upper end by the cap 10.

Inside the glass cylinder 2 is another cylinder 11 of a little smaller diameter so as to leave a narrow surrounding annular chamber or space 12 between the two cylinders 2 and 11, and this space is arranged to communicate with the main chamber within the cylinder 11 by a number of apertures 13, or any other coi'nmuncating means, which permits the gasoline pumped into the cylinder 2 to rise to the same level inside the cylinder 11 and in the space 12 between the cylinder 11 and the glass receptacle 2, as shown in Fig. 1.

The outer face of the cylinder 11 is preferably polished or otherwise constructed to afford a reflecting surface, which serves to reflect the light received through the glass Ill) 2, so that the thin film of liquid within the space 12 is well illuminated and shows up clear and transparent, and any slight discoloration in the liquid is thus concealed.

The same method may be employed in displaying liquids other than gasoline, as, for example, lubricating oils which do not ordinarily show up well, owing to the translucent character of the liquid, which causes the oil to appear very darlr and disagreeable in color. The display of such oils in a thin layer between a transparent wall and a reflecting surface, acts very much the same as though. the oil was in a thin bottle, and. results in the li 'ht penetrating the volume of oil so that it appears light colored and clear. moreover, the shade of coloring may be regulated or varied by increasing; or de creasing the thickness of the layer oi oil between the reflector and transparent wall, so that the desired shade may readily be secured. I

d hile l have shown and descr bed my invention in a preferred form, I aware that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of my invention, the scope of which is to be determined from the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a liquid display device, the combination of a container comprising a transparent annular wall and a correspondingly shaped opaque shell with a bright outer surface fixed within the container so as to form a narrow annular space of uniform length between the t1 sparent wall and the shell, and means ording inter-communication between said annular space and the interior oi? the shell whereby liquidis tree to assume the same level in the annular space and the interior of the shellv 9. In a liquid dispensing device, the com.- bination of a receptacle having a transparen wall, means in the form of a reflector in the receptacle, adjacent said wall, forma separate annular compartment in the receptacle for sen rating a thin layer of the liquid in the receptacle from the remainder of the liquid, so that the layer of liquid is visible through the transparent wall and the remainder concealed behind said means, said annular compartment communicating at the top and bottom thereof with the main chan'iber oi the receptacle, a supply duct for introducing liquid into the receptacle and an exhaust duct for withdrawingthe liquid therefrom.

3. in a liquid i'lispensing device, the combination of a receptacle having a transparent wall, a bright shell within the receptacle 'lorming a narrow annular space extending around the receptacle between the trans parent wall and the shell, means affording inter-communication between the annular space and the interior of the shell whereby liquid is free to assume the same level in each, a supply duct for introducing liquid into the receptacle and an exhaust duct for withdrawing the liquid therefrom.

' -l. In a liquid dispensing device, the combinat-ion of a standard having a receptacle mounted at the upper end thereof, said receptacle having a transparentwall, a shell with a brightened external suri' ace mounted within the receptacle so as to form a narrow annular space between the trans parent wall and the shell, a supply pipe leading throu h the standard into the receptacle and adapted to simultaneously supply liquid at the same level in the annular space and the interior ot the sheli, and a flexible valve-controlled duct leading: from the interior of the receptacle so as to simultaneously discharge the contents from the annular space and tie interior of the shell.

5. In a liquid display device, the combination of a receptacle having a surrounding transparent wall, and a corresponding partition in the receptacle, adjacent the transparent wall, separating the receptacle into compartments which communicate with one another, so that the liquid assumes the same level in both compartments, said partition being provided with a reflecting surface facing toward the transparent wall.

6. In a liquid display device, the com bination of an annular liquid container having a transparent wall, and an annular re flector within the container and parallel with the transparent wall, forming a narrow space between the reflector and the wall, adapted to contain a thin layer of liquid visible through the transparent wall and illuminated by rays of lightretlected by the reflector.

7. In a liquid display device, the com bination of a glass cylinder forming a liquid container, a cylindrical shell inserted in the glass cylinder so as to afford a narrow annular chamber between the glass cylinder and the snell, means for introducing a liquid into the container, and means affording;- communication between said annular chamber and the interior of the cylinder shell, so that the liquid assumes the same leiel in the annular chamber and the interior of the shell, said shell causing the liquid to appear clear and sparkling.

8. In a liquid dispensing device, the com bination of a measuring receptacle having a surrounding transparent wall, a separator in the measuringreceptacle, adjacent and parallel with the transparent wall so as to provide a narrow surrounding spaccbetween said separator and the transparent wall to a-ceomn'iodaie a thin la er oi? liquid which iJle through the transparent wall, and conceal the remainder of the liquid in the lilil receptacle, said separator having a polished outer surface, and means for supplying liquid to and Withdrawing same from the receptacle, so that the liquid remains at the same level at both Sl( es of the separator.

9. In a liquid dispensing device, the com.- hination of a transparent measuring receptacle, a separator in the measuring receptacle adjacent the receptacle to provide a narrow surrounding space throughout the height thereof between the sepa titer and the receptacle to accommodate a thin layer oi? liquid which is visible through the receptacle and conceal the remainder of the liquid in the separator, said separator having a polished outer surface, and means for supplying and Withdrawing liquid to and from the bottom of the receptacle.

1.0. In a liquid dispensing device, the combination of a receptacle having a transparent wall, means in the receptacle, adjacent said Wall, forming a separate annular compartment in the receptacle immediately inside the receptacle of which the receptacle forms the outer Wall for separating a thin layer of the liquid in the receptacle from the remainder of the liquid, so that the layer of liquid is visible through the transparent Wall and the remainder concealed behind said means, said annular compartment communicating with the main chamber of the receptacle, said means including means to render the appearance of the liquid clear, a supply duct for introducing liquid into the receptacle and an exhaust duct for withdrawing the liquid therefrom.

11 In a liquid display device, the c01nhination of a receptacle having a transparent Wall. means in the receptacle adjacent the transparent Wall forming an annular compartment around the receptacle for separating a thin layer of the liquid from the remainder of the receptacle, which layer is visible at any point around the receptacle, said means adapted to reflect light rays through the layer to illuminate and cause the same to show up clear and transparent and permit the layer of liquid and the remainder oi the liquid to assume the same level in the receptacle.

LORENZO RALPH JOHNSON. 

